2 June 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
This afternoon, I’m playing electric bass with the Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra (CSWO) at the bandstand in Queen’s Park, Loughborough. We’re on from 2-3pm and it is a free event for anyone who fancies popping down to the park.
1 June 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
I’ve had a good workout on the upright bass today. First of all, I spend a couple of hours down in the town centre, contributing double bass and some singing to a choir event organised as part of the Loughborough … Continue reading
26 May 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
This morning, I expected to be running the sound desk or perhaps just assisting, since the person on the rota was able to be around after all. That was just as well as, shortly after arriving, I got a call … Continue reading
1 May 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
I sometimes get asked for advice on bass amps for beginners and the answer can generally be summed up in two words: it depends. Despite a lot of advances since I was starting out, you still can’t get light, loud … Continue reading
17 March 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
There was a bit more sight-reading to be done at tonight’s band, with an arrangement of Eternal Flame by the Bangles. I’m just taking a listen back to it now and trying to figure out if the bass part on … Continue reading
4 March 2024
by wpAdmin
0 comments
Don’t worry – nothing life-threatening to report. However, for a year or more now, I’ve been aware that wear on the zero fret of my six string Sei bass was causing the thinnest string to buzz. I’ve been taming it … Continue reading
18 December 2023
by wpAdmin
0 comments
Whoops. I turned up to my gig tonight (the third carol service), unloaded the car and realised that I’d forgotten to pack one rather vital component, namely my bass! Fortunately the venue wasn’t far from home so Jane, who’d dropped … Continue reading
2 November 2023
by wpAdmin
0 comments
Making the Low Notes: A Life in Music is an autobiography by Bill Harrison. What grabbed me was a combination of the double bass on the cover and the first part of the title. Even through, as a bassist myself, … Continue reading
25 October 2023
by wpAdmin
1 Comment
One of the tunes the concert band has been working on is an arrangement of Joe Zawinul’s Birdland. Many bassists will know the Weather Report version, where Jaco Pastorious jumps straight into “follow me if you dare” territory by playing … Continue reading
19 September 2023
by wpAdmin
1 Comment
This coming Saturday, I’m going to be out with Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra for a concert at Emmanuel church in Loughborough. It is on a cinematic theme and every piece conjures up one or move moments from movie history. You … Continue reading